Far too many businesses I consult with find this area of the business difficult, how to sort the applications, getting the interviews happening, the final selection along with the induction of a new staff member.

How then does a business ensure that this process can be refined to ensure a system can be developed and put in place that allows flexibility of approach while retaining integrity.

These days many opt for an employment agency to do the sifting of the candidates, in time they send a small team of applicants for the final interview with you. Some accept that this is an expense for the business and others loathe to spend the money.

In the competitive area of recruitment there are the government funded organisations providing free services to anyone that wants it. What is the difference between the two systems. At first glance none, both are aiming to get staff into your business that are suitable for your needs.

The professional service you pay for can easily implement filtering services that could include psychological testing measures that can allow for closer matching of the prospective employee to your team needs, not just based on a skill level.

If you feel that you just want to place and advert in a paper, place a sign in the window, or chat to the next staff prospect that comes through the door then do so, however I ask that you keep a few things in mind in doing so.

• Your time is precious, make sure you can adequately handle the ˜onslaught” of replies an advert can bring, have time to sort them and a good job description at hand.
• Plan the type you want well in advance, so the person you choose is not selected at a time of great pressure in the workplace.
• Set out the interview questions to ensure you are able to compare one applicant fairly with the others.
• Know what you want, aim for the right person to fill that role. Consider the ideal skills you are after if the ˜ideal” candidate came along.
• Consider the cost of having a new employee, how long will it take for them to learn new systems, ideas and the physical placement of items in your business before they can bring a return to the business.
• What will happen if an incorrect decision is made, or the new employee bails out after a short space of time?

All of these questions should be addressed as there can come a time when you search for an employee and you can find the process to be an expensive one if all the right processes are not put effectively in motion.

Aim to have an effective business and plan to get the employee development happening in the best way possible. If you are able to get the right person for the business you will soon be looking at a great asset. This is where a lot of business managers can get in to difficulty, they often see employees as liabilities. Imagine how you would feel if people thought the same way about you, a liability rather than an asset.

Remember the recruitment process does not stop there. It continues on for as long as your business grows. It also continues in the way that you develop your staff to explore their full potential.

One employer I worked with some time ago mentioned a staff member that he felt was a dead loss, in time he slowly picked up and managed to make headway in being more competent in the role, however they still found limited skill levels. Near the end of his tether the employer chatted to the employee and noted an interesting thing. He said “So you have worked on this particular machine for some time now, what do you think?” an unusual reply came, as he had meant the question as a social note in passing. “The machine is useless, it really does the job badly, no matter how hard I try. But I think it can be improved with a few modifications.”

In the next few minutes the employee pointed out various modifications to the machine and clearly explained how to go about it. The employer did not know the employee had ˜tinkering skills” and was soon engrossed in the discussion, hearing the how’s and the why for’s of the possible modifications.

In the next few days they set about working together to alter the machine and soon bumped up production. This took a great deal of stress out of the role of the employee and other people on the production line. The saving per year in costs soon added up to many thousands of dollars.

When asked by the employer why it took so long for him to point out how to improve things, the employee replied “Up until now you have not asked.”

The process of discovery is an intricate and complex one where staff can be under utilised, facilities wasted and business fails to make use of its full potential. If you are intending to recruit, do so at your own peril, or if you are doing it right, do so with great interest, for who knows what opportunities might just be around the corner!